Spidercam aiming to wow fans

Chris Barrett, Sydney

FRESH from evading the perils of receivership, Channel Nine is preparing to enliven its broadcasting of cricket by introducing Spidercam for the first time in a Test match this summer and adding 3D replays to its coverage.

The German-made aerial camera, which is suspended over sports venues by a maze of pulleys and cables and operated by a team of three, will be rolled out during the first Test at the Gabba starting on Friday week.

The Spidercam has not been without its complications. Used extensively for major sporting events in Europe and North America, it has been hit previously by football goalkeepers.

Most recently it was hit at the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in South Africa where Mumbai's Dinesh Karthik struck a ball into the device during a match against Sydney Sixers.

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Players including Kieron Pollard and Yuvraj Singh have claimed the camera was a distraction for batsmen and came too close to the field during its use at the Indian Premier League.

But Nine's executive producer of cricket, Brad McNamara, is confident the camera will be a hit in the figurative sense, too. ''It hasn't been used in a Test match before so that will certainly bring a different dimension to the way Test cricket is viewed. There will be different angles that you won't have ever seen before,'' he said.

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''It's a great little toy. It gets to places other cameras can't get to. It gives you an amazing view and shots that you never thought you'd be able to get. It's used extensively in the NFL and there are some amazing pictures coming out of there at the moment.''

Nine used the Spidercam for two Twenty20 internationals and a one-day international at the tail end of last summer, and it was also a feature of the AFL grand final this year.

McNamara said Nine would add it to its coverage of rugby league's state of origin next year.

Another innovation the network is trying to implement during the Test summer are 3D replays, which McNamara said were among a series of technological elements it was considering to value-add the output to viewers.

The cutting edge replays will be introduced at the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka at the MCG.

''We had a presentation from a company that flew out from Switzerland during the week and they showed us some amazing stuff that will roll really well not only in cricket but in all the sport we cover,'' McNamara said.

Nine, facing potential competition from Seven West Media and Network Ten to retain the $315 million domestic cricket rights that expire in March, is also bringing touch-screen technology into its studios to give its commentators another vehicle for analysis.

''We're going to give them the tools to express themselves a bit better,'' McNamara said.